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Mrs Gill Faldo of Berkshire complained that a journalist from The Sun had sought to obtain information about her in breach of Clause 11 (Misrepresentation) of the Code of Practice.

The complaint was upheld.

The complainant said that the journalist, had turned up at the complainant's house and pretended to the housekeeper that she was a friend of the complainant who was desperate to contact her. The complainant was abroad at the time but the journalist was invited into the house and chatted with the housekeeper about the complainant's new home. Shortly afterwards an article appeared about the house including an estimate of its worth and details of its interior. The complainant found this article intrusive.

The newspaper said that while the journalist had not said that she was a journalist she had not claimed to be a friend and at no time was she asked whether she was a journalist. Furthermore, her name would have been familiar to Mrs Faldo so there was no question of her impersonating somebody else in order to gain information.

Decision: Upheld

Adjudication:

It was clear to the Commission that, in not revealing that she was a journalist, the journlaist had allowed a misleading impression of who she was to develop. The housekeeper had been given no reason to believe that she was a journalist and consequently she discussed the complainant and allowed the journlaist access to her house, something she would not have done had she known her identity. The Commission could understand the complainant's irritation and upset at the journalist's behaviour and upheld the complaint.